High hopes are held for God's Own colt Galaxy Talk who has a lot to live up to as the half-brother to stablemate and last season's two-year-old star Rostova.Trained by Steve Richards, Galaxy Talk will make his race debut in Sunday's $100,000 St Albans Plate (1000m) at Moonee Valley which trainer Steven Richards hopes will be the springboard to better races for him in the autumn."I am not going there as confident as I was when Rostova made her race debut but I am confident he will run pretty well
High hopes are held for God's Own colt Galaxy Talk who has a lot to live up to as the half-brother to stablemate and last season's two-year-old star Rostova.
Trained by Steve Richards, Galaxy Talk will make his race debut in Sunday's $100,000 St Albans Plate (1000m) at Moonee Valley which trainer Steven Richards hopes will be the springboard to better races for him in the autumn.
"I am not going there as confident as I was when Rostova made her race debut but I am confident he will run pretty well," Richards said.
Rostova was unbeaten in her first three starts, winning the Schiavello Stakes (1000m) on Melbourne Cup day and the fillies' Blue Diamond Preview (1000m) and Prelude (1100m).
The daughter of Testa Rossa also finished fifth in the Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) and won the VRC Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m).
"He is probably not quite as forward as she was at the same time, but he is not far behind and this is a chance to find out what ability he has got," Richards said.
He said Galaxy Talk had limited trial experience but he decided that it was preferable to run him this weekend rather than wait another two weeks for the next two-year-old race on Boxing Day at Caulfield.
"He's only had two little jumpouts," Richards said.
"Normally you wouldn't take a horse to the races on what he's done but with two-year-olds there is a fine line and you can tip them over the edge pretty easily."
Richards said the small field of six would undoubtedly make the task easier for Galaxy Talk.
"We might have pulled the right rein going for this race with the small field," Richards said.
"He has drawn nicely (barrier one) and he has got the speed to put himself into the race so hopefully he does everything right."
Richards said Rostova, who has won four of her 10 starts and more than $500,000 in prizemoney, would return to his Flemington stable on Monday after spending the last month in pre-training.
Rostova's only placing in three spring starts was a second to Avenue in the Group Three Champagne Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley in September.
Richards said his plan was to stretch Rostova out to longer races in the autumn to try to avoid a star-studded line-up of sprinting fillies trained by Peter Moody.
Avenue, Headway and Black Caviar are among the Moody speedsters.
"We will want to go where they don't go but it is going to be hard to avoid them," Richards said.
He said the $400,000 Kewney Stakes (1400m) at Flemington would be Rostova's primary autumn goal on March 6 and he is confident she will get as far as 1600m next campaign.